Friday, August 28, 2015

It was not so long ago that the mythic figure of the fierce
Ruler Lady loomed large in grad school folklore. She lurked in graduate schools
across the land, measuring the margins of theses and dissertations with uncanny
(some say even preternatural) precision. She could stop the hearts of suppliant
thesis and dissertation writers with a single wave of her terrible sword. I
mean ruler. The unluckiest ones could expect to be sent away, trembling, to
retype—literally, like on a typewriter—whole pages of their precious documents,
in triplicate and on expensive cotton-bond paper.

Like all urban
legends, there is perhaps a kernel of truth in the basic story, but over time
such tales grow to incredible proportions and soon spiral out far beyond the
bounds of reality.

I am the Ruler Lady at NIU, but I’m really not very fierce. And
I do not use a ruler anymore, although I must admit that for many years I did.
In fact, quite a lot has changed in the Thesis Office at NIU since I started
out as Thesis and Dissertation Advisor in 1996. For one thing, theses and
dissertations are born digital these days and thus the post-defense submission,
review, and approval process is entirely electronic now. Other more recent
changes in the Thesis Office, however, aren’t so much technological as
programmatic.

Starting this Fall 2015, the Thesis Office is delighted to offer
a full menu of targeted workshops to assist thesis and dissertation writers in
all departments of the university to meet the specific Graduate School format
requirements and general standards of quality for academic writing. My hope is
that by meeting with students before they defend, answering their individual questions
as they arise during composition, I can smooth out the sometimes bumpy road to
final approval. To help me with that lofty goal, I have enlisted a couple of
excellent GAs to the cause. Mike and Clare, who’ve been blogging in this space
for several months, know exactly what you are going through. Their perspective
has proven invaluable to me in designing new programs and services, updating
our online resources, and creating a more student-focused office in general.

Please check out the calendar of upcoming workshops for Fall
2015 on the website (click here) and look for new offerings and events in the coming months.

The Thesis Office staff is alive and well in Adams Hall Room
104 and we’re eager to help you achieve your goals. Feel free to drop in the
office without appointment Monday – Thursday 10 am – 2 pm to see how we may be
of assistance to you. And be sure to subscribe to this blog. You’ll receive
posts twice a month on a wide variety of topics of interest to thesis and
dissertation writers at every stage in the process.

Finally, remember that although I may still strike fear in
the hearts of graduate students, I promise to use my power only for good.

Friday, August 21, 2015

We’ve been posting some heavy material in our last few blog entries—so this post encourages you to relax! With many of us about to start (or have started) a new school year or semester, and others working hard in other ventures, I'm excited to tell you about the studies revealing the
benefits of taking a break, especially outside.

On June 23 of this year, NPR’s Patti Neighmond posted an article, “Take
a Hike to Do Your Heart and Spirit Good.” In this piece, Neighmond references
an NPR study
on adult exercise. The poll revealed that about 50% of adults say they do exercise
regularly, with walking being the most common activity. Neighmond reveals,
however, that many people think walking isn’t good enough exercise, so they may
skip it.

Neighmond then reports on studies by Dr. Tim Church of Louisiana
State University. These studies show that while walking might not help adults lose
actual pounds, it does help reduce belly fat and keeps the body generally healthier.

What does that have to do with writing? Well, Church also found that regular walkers have

less anxiety

less depression

more energy

So for writers of serious, lengthy research, why not stop for a few minutes and take a walk to recharge--so to speak? And even if
you are quite energetic already, there are more benefits of nature breaks...

Well, yes. Tsui provides good evidence for using
aromatherapy during those times when you can’t get outside. Tsui refers to a
study touting the benefits of walking outside done by Qing Li, an immunologist
at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School. In this study, Li found that “walks in the woods boosted
natural killer immune cells that helped fight infection and cancer,” and he, as
I (patting myself on the back), “came to suspect that it was the natural scents of
evergreens and other trees that did the bulk of the work." Some
countries are now even promoting “forest therapy,” according to Tsui.

Friday, August 7, 2015

I stumbled across a three part
series by David D. Perlmutter in The
Chronicle of Higher Education a few weeks ago. The series is titled “The
Completion Agenda.” I want to note at the outset that these articles are based
in part on Perlmutter’s own experience as a graduate student and a professor,
which made the content that much more credible.

In Part
1, Perlmutter's thesis is the following: Just finish your dissertation. There is no
such thing as the perfect dissertation. Perlmutter reminds graduate students that their written work is not a dissertation until it has been defended and
submitted. Until you have reached these final stages, your document is nothing
more than a word file saved on your computer or USB drive. Do not put off
completing the work because you have discovered some new study related to your
topic, a new piece of secondary research that may or may not be relevant to
your thesis, or because you found out about a class offered in some other
department that you think might offer a new perspective related to your field.
Simply finish the dissertation! Do all the requisite research, but remember that your dissertation is a work in progress that can be revised and updated over
several years after you have completed your graduate school program and moved on
to the next phase of your professional life.

In Part 2, Perlmutter reflects on the defense
(previously written about on this blog). He shares an entertaining
anecdote -- one that, I must admit, reflects the concerns that I have about my
own future defense experience:

I recall
being startled at the dissertation defense when professors in the young man’s
department began delivering scorching assessments of his theory, method, cases,
and conclusions. As the incendiaries kept flying I grew concerned about his
health. He whitened, started sweating visibly, and several times laid his
forehead on the table. When it came my turn to speak, I froze and ended up
sputtering, "Well, you have answered all my questions!" and fell
silent.

But then
something incredible happened: The candidate was asked to leave the room, and
the committee briskly and unanimously voted in favor of passing his
dissertation with minimal revisions. He was ushered back in to the
accompaniment of back slaps, clapping, and exclamations of "Welcome, Doctor!"

Turns out
that the scene was a norm in the department, a version of some tribal
coming-of-age ritual, except the scarring was mental, not physical. Misery and
stress were inflicted to test resolve and fortitude. Survival meant passing.

I read this passage and all I could think was, “Not
cool, dude. Not cool.”

Perlmutter does offer some invaluable advice when it
comes to prepping for the defense. First, constant communication with your
committee. Provide them with copies of the complete dissertation a month before
the defense. Follow this up with emails or face to face meetings in order to get each instructor’s
reaction to your dissertation.

Second, Perlmutter’s advice is: “Know your material cold.” Apparently, it
is not uncommon for graduate students to walk into their defense and completely
blank out. You may know one section better than another, or you may have
forgotten some content because it was written a long time ago. Make the time to re-read your own
dissertation in its entirety before you step into your defense.

Third,
remember what you learned in your undergraduate communications class – speak clearly,
precisely, and provide handouts. Consult with your director and make sure that
you know how much time you will have for the defense. Do NOT read from your
dissertation. Rehearse. And if you are going to be using
technology during your defense, make sure that you have a back-up plan in case
the tech does not work the day of your defense.

Always remember: Defend your work, but
do not become defensive about your work.

Part 3 addresses the post-defense stage.
Recall that you will receive one of two responses from your committee – Pass or
Fail. If you pass your dissertation defense, you will receive one of two marks
on your results form: Pass: The
Thesis/Dissertation Requires No Further Review By The Committee or Chair OR
Pass: The Thesis/Dissertation Requires Revisions or Corrections Which Must Be
Reviewed.

Perlmutter indicates that this latter response is more
likely. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect dissertation; therefore,
do not freak out if your committee asks for additional revisions after the
defense.

The article advises that you take detailed notes when
receiving feedback from your committee. Make sure that you create an itemized
list (if necessary) of changes that need to be made to your dissertation. Afterwards, be sure that the entire committee concurs with the needed
revisions. Remember that even after you make these final changes, you will need
to show another clean draft of your dissertation to your committee. The question you need to ascertain is: will it be
acceptable if you only deal with your director when updating your dissertation?
Or do you need to work with each member of the committee individually?

Most importantly: Do not
leave your committee without getting a due date for the final draft of your
dissertation. Many jobs will expect you to have finished your dissertation
prior to starting your employment. If you are still revising your dissertation
as you start your new job, it will be possible for you to fall behind in
revising your dissertation as you prioritize projects required at your new job.

One final note: I want to remind NIU graduate students that it is still possible that after you revise your dissertation/thesis for your committee, your document may need further alterations to ensure that your work has been formatted according to publication standards as outlined on the NIU Thesis and Dissertation Office website. If any of the content on our website is unclear of if you have any questions about writing, formatting, or editing your dissertation/thesis, please feel free to contact us or speak with the director of your committee.

The message that I took from each of the three parts was this: Finish the dissertation. Just finish. That is the hardest part. Finish!I found Perlmutter's articles to be insightful, easy to read, and they helped me realize that my own situation as a graduate student is not all that different from his own and many others. While Perlmutter's articles focus on doctoral student experiences, I highly recommend master's and doctoral students read each of these articles. Links to the three part series are provided below.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post them to the blog or on our Facebook page.